LONDON on the Ground

It sounds like an episode of Harry Potter, but the Trial of the Pyx is in fact a test of coins made by the Royal Mint and one of the UK’s oldest judicial procedures. One of the earliest forms of consumer protection, with 12th century origins, the Trial of the Pyx has been the exclusive responsibility of the Goldsmiths’ Company since the 16th century. Since 1870 it has (almost always) taken place at Goldsmiths’ Hall in the City of London. Inside Goldsmiths’ Hall The Trial's st

The residential estate in the City of London is "arguably one of the country’s most important early 1950s housing estates". So says English Heritage in its Grade II listing of the estate. It is certainly one of the more imaginative examples of modernist residential architecture. Commissioned by the City of London Corporation and completed between 1952 and 1962, it stands between Golden Lane and Goswell Road at the northern border of the City. Built on a bomb site, the esta

The Wren church near St Paul’s has many interesting features and a hidden courtyard of surprises. First, let me explain the unusual name of this church. Vedast was a sixth century bishop of Arras, in the border region between France and Flanders. Known as Vaast in Flemish, his greatest claim to fame is probably his conversion to Christianity of the Frankish king, Clovis. St Vedast was venerated by Flemish merchants who came to England in the 12 th century, when his name w

A 17th century City of London Livery Hall for a 600 year old company around the corner from St Paul’s Cathedral. Tucked away in a small courtyard off Ave Maria Lane near St Paul’s Cathedral, Stationers' Hall has stood on the same site since 1606. It is one of those locations, where time appears to stand still, that are hidden away across the City of London. The Stationers are among the 39 City of London Livery Companies that have their own Livery Hall, used for dinners, rec

A range of non-religious stained glass windows telling London stories. Very often associated with saints and scenes from the Bible, stained glass is an art form that also portrays secular history. My eclectic selection illustrates aviation, pioneering women, printing, the law, civic governance, actors, artists and writers. It is only a fraction of the wonderful secular stained glass in - and about - London. Walks available for booking For a schedule of forthcoming London On T

Greater London recently reinstated its 60 year old coat of arms, while the City of London’s arms have evolved over eight centuries. St Paul, Thomas Becket, the cross of St George, lions, dragons, the Thames and the spires, towers and walls of the City have all featured in more than 800 years of designs representing London. Greater London's coat of arms The Greater London Authority (GLA) assumed the historic coat of arms of its predecessor, the Greater London Council (GLC), in

A visit to Richard Rogers’ “awe-inspiring futuristic" landmark. When the Lloyd’s Building was completed in 1986, to designs by renowned architect Richard Rogers, there was nothing else quite like it. There still isn’t. I recently had an opportunity to go inside the Lloyd’s Building for the first time. Walks available for booking For a schedule of forthcoming London On The Ground guided walks and tours, please click here . Grade I listing In 2011, the Lloyd’s Building became

Bells, bell ringers and panoramas of a City of London landmark. St Mary-le-Bow is one of Sir Christopher Wren’s most celebrated City of London churches. Its 248ft spire on Cheapside completes the most ‘Wren-like’ of the City churches he created after the Great Fire of London of 1666. It remains a landmark in the 21st century City. St Mary-le-Bow spire seen from the roof terrace at One New change However, St Mary-le-Bow is probably most famous for its bells, whose history long

The City of London’s largest shopping centre offers stunning views of St Paul’s and beyond (it also has shops). One New Change Opened in 2010, One New Change occupies a whole block, bounded by New Change, Cheapside, Bread Street and Watling Street. It is the second post World War II building on this site, replacing offices built in 1957 (on what had been a bomb site) for the Accountant’s Department of the Bank of England. Walks available for booking For a schedule of forthcom

The Islington street with one foot in the City of London has many fascinating guises. Whitecross Street Whenever I find myself on...

Bombed City of London churches and Guildhall through the eyes of an artist in the 1940s. St Paul's Cathedral by Ernest Borough Johnson...

A glittering 'Aladdin’s cave' hidden under an office building houses the world’s largest silverware market. The London Silver Vaults In...

Alan Pollock flew along the Thames in London in a rogue solo flypast for the RAF’s 50th anniversary in 1968. Tower of London and Tower...

Unpublished drawings of St Paul’s and Blitz-damaged Wren churches in the 1950s and 1960s. St Paul's Cathedral and St Nicholas Cole Abbey,...

More peculiar and varied street names in the Square Mile. The City of London is the oldest part of the metropolis. Because of its...

The Bard, his wife and a new London address in Trinity Lane? Shakespeare's image on the Queenhithe mosaic, close to where he and Anne...

On Cornhill in the City of London, carvings on a pair of mahogany doors tell the long history of the area. The doors are at 32 Cornhill,...

The 20th century ceramic murals in the Barbican Estate celebrate technological advancement. The Dorothy Annan murals on Cromwell Highwalk...

A medieval arch, a Tudor house and moving memorials to fallen sons The entrance to the churchyard of St Bartholomew the Great from...

A former City of London bombsite with pretty plants. And hidden secrets. The lower tier of Cleary Garden Cleary Garden is a small park on...